Suspended sediment dynamics of an allogenic dryland river channel

Suspended sediment dynamics of the Tarim River, an allogenic river flowing in a very arid environment in China, are analyzed based on flow and suspended sediment data during the last five decades (1960-2011). Flow discharge (Q) and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) majorly concentrates in low values and both form distributions with quite positive asymmetry feature (that is, large positive skewness value). The runoff and sediment load in the river showed a fluctuating while clear decreasing trend in recent decades, with an obvious increase of occurrence of low flow events while a gentle decrease of moderate-high flow events. Three hysteresis loop forms (clockwise, anti-clockwise and figure-eight) occurred, with clockwise loop the major form. Somehow random but more frequent occurrence of bank collapse along the river near the peak and falling limb of a flood hydrograph is probably the major reason causing anti-clockwise and figure-eight hysteresis loops.